Digital Learning Program for Big Kids – Aleks Math Education

We, at Educents, love Aleks® for homeschool and traditional school alike! Why? Think of Aleks® math education as a digital learning tool for “big kids.” In fact, Aleks® provides math education for middle school through upper grades, even through high school. And, it’s entirely assessment driven! So what does that mean?

Simply put, Aleks® assesses what each student knows. It then provides very clear and easy-to-understand results and recommendations for what each student needs to learn. For example, the results of my personal middle school math assessment are featured below (FYI: it’s been a while since I had to solve many of these problems, so I scored far away from perfect!).

As you can see, I’m really good at adding whole numbers, understanding integers, fractions and decimals. Sounds about right, considering I balance a checking account and bake. However, I seem to have forgotten how to solve equations and inequalities entirely! But my goodness, according to MyPie, I have a lot to learn! And how would a middle schooler learn?

This example shows what a parent sees if s/he is viewing her/his student’s progress.

Imagine having these results for your child. You, the parent,have a user login where you can create quizzes for your student, asses his or her learning, provide guided lessons based on your student’s needs, etc. See below.

Customized quizzes are available for you to schedule and even modify.

Here’s an example of your master homepage where you’re able to control/modify what your child learns. I used the same name for both the Master and Student Accounts.

Like I previously mentioned, Aleks® is assessment driven. This is not a math program where students stroll through a nearby park and “guestimate” the circumference of an artistic globe on display as modern art. For the record, I love math learning in all forms, so if the park thing is what works best, stick with it! Hands-on learning is valuable, and giving meaning to math in real life is vital! With Aleks®, however, your child is given a very organized, digital and no-fuss learning environment. Questions are about as “mathematic” as they come. See below:

If I was a middle or high schooler, I’d really appreciate a program like this. In fact, when I was in middle school, I needed something like this; private tutoring without the pressure. If I was a student using program today, I’d be able to learn at my own pace, be taught very clearly and continue working with a topic until it was mastered. Best of all? I’d be doing challenging math in the privacy of my own home without distractions.

Here’s a list of some things I really like about Aleks® from both a teacher’s and parent’s perspective:

It’s straightforward

It’s Common Core aligned

It’s digital

Parents and teachers can customize nearly everything the student learns

Consider using this math education program, especially if you homeschool or have “big kids” whose math skills might surpass your own (remember my score?). And remember, balance is key. Continue giving the experience of hands-on math learning but also consider a math program that truly teaches the facts needing to be memorized. It’s math; sometimes memorization is imperative!

Hilary is former teacher who’s staying home while raising her two children, ages 3.5 and 14 months. She occasionally writes blog posts for Educents and she loves education, child development, and spending hours in the kitchen cooking and baking.